Politics

South-East shouldn’t struggle to produce Nigeria’s next president — Uzodimma

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2022

Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, has said the South-East is being denied the opportunity to produce the next president through the big parties due to lack of equity.

He expressed the view that where there is sincerity of purpose and justice, the region should not be struggling to get that should have naturally come to them

He stated this on Wednesday when he featured on Sunrise Daily, a Channels TV programme.

Even as he identified with the clamour for the political parties to zone their presidential tickets to the South-East, Uzodimma said it was not going to happen because of lack of sincerity of purpose.

In May, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) conducted its special convention, but Atiku Abubakar, who is from the North, was elected as the party’s presidential candidate.

The presidential primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is currently underway in Abuja, but two hopefuls, Bola Tinubu and Yemi Osinbajo who are from the South-West are leading the race.

Uzodimma who is the chairman of the APC special convention, said, “From the view of political calculation, the sentiment of the people in the south-east is that they deserve to produce the president because the reason why this power is moving from the north to the south is that the current president is from the north having served for daughter years,” he said.

“The reason why the south-east is asking for it is that when the power came to the south it went to the south-west and was there for eight years and the next time it came to the south it went to the south-south and it was there for seven years plus.

“The natural thing to do and the justice of the case is that now that power is coming again to the south and since it is only three geo-political zones that made up the south, it should come to the south-east, having been in the south-west and south-south.

“In a situation where equity should be the issue we (south-east) don’t need to struggle for it. But here again, you see how it has come. We will continue to hope that one day God will touch the heart of our brothers and sisters to do that which belongs to us.”

Uzodimma said the presidential hopefuls from the South-East who withdrew from the race to support northern candidates did so because they hoped to produce the next president when power returns to the South.

“This is what has to be discussed at the party level because it is a serious matter. Because we are dealing with human beings here. You cannot just wake up and take any decision, there are consequences to every action. Those are the things that will be discussed and something must be done,” he said.

“Most of our people (presidential hopefuls) here who came from the south-east, when they saw that it will be difficult clinching to the ticket they opted for a northern candidate.

“The reason is very simple because when a northern candidate stays for eight years and then the power will come back to the south; this time around maybe we (south-east) will have the opportunity.”

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Politics

Senate in rowdy session as lawmakers quarrel over sitting arrangement

Published

3 days ago

April 30, 2024

Trends Admin

Senate in rowdy session as lawmakers quarrel over sitting arrangement

The Senate broke into a rowdy session on Tuesday after three senators engaged in a heated argument over arrangement of seats.

Danjuma Goje, senator representing Gombe Central, and Sahabi Yau, senator representing Zamfara North, expressed displeasure over the seats assigned to them.

They complained to Opeyemi Bamidele, the majority leader.

The Senate is currently using its refurbished chamber, two years after renovation began on it.

According to the standing rules of the upper legislative chamber, senators should sit in order of rank.

The Easter and Sallah recess was postponed to accommodate the completion of the renovation of both chambers of the national assembly.

However, while Senate President Godswill Akpabio read his welcome address, the heated argument among the three senators began.

It was learnt that Goje and Yau, sitting on the second row on the right side of the aisle, did not like the seats allocated to them by the senate committee on services.

Sunday Karimi, senator representing Kogi west, is chair of the senate services committee.

The four-term senators subsequently insisted that they should have been assigned seats on the front row on the extreme right — opposite the row of the majority leader and the deputy senate president.

After the argument, Kawu Sumaila, senator representing Kano South, called for a “point of order” which was ignored.

Thereafter, Bamidele moved a motion for a closed-session.

Politics

Ganduje drums support for Tinubu, says no vacancy in Aso Rock 2027

Published

3 days ago

April 30, 2024

Trends Admin

Ganduje drums support for Tinubu, says no vacancy in Aso Rock 2027

National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, says members of the opposition are trying to discredit the Bola Tinubu-led administration in their desperation for Aso Rock in 2027.
He however declares that there is no vacancy in Aso Rock in 2027.

Ganduje said the administration of President Tinubu had been contending with accumulation of many years of neglect, policy summersaults and other disjointed decisions by previous administrations.

The APC national chairman gave the position while addressing supporters and support groups at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

Ganduje urged the APC supporters and groups to be committed to the party so that it could continue to forge ahead.

He said the leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and its chieftains were afraid, having been defeated in the last general election and already foreseeing another defeat.

Ganduje said the NNPP elements were now engaged in a propaganda campaign against the leadership of APC.

He said, “They are so afraid because we are consolidating. They are so afraid all over the country because we are receiving new entrants into our party. That is creating fears in their minds.

“They are already eyeing 2027, but at that time, there is no vacancy. Only our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will, Insha Allah, continue as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Ganduje claimed the leadership of NNPP and its chieftains in Kano State were sponsoring protests and campaigning for his removal as APC national chairman.

Politics

Another PDP bigwig dumps party

Published

4 days ago

April 29, 2024

Trends Admin

Dr Cosmos Ndukwe

Another PDP bigwig dumps party

Dr Cosmos Ndukwe, one of the key opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidates for 2023, has resigned from the party.

This is stated in a letter written by the former Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly to the Chairman of his Item C Ward in Bende Local Government Area, which was copied to the party’s State Chairman, Hon. Asiforo Okere, and the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.

The former Chief of Staff to the Governor and Commissioner for Works under ex-Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu claimed “personal reasons, current commitments, and aspirations” in his decision to leave the PDP.

He praised the party for providing him with the opportunity to enter the political spotlight and wished it success in the state.

The letter posted on his Facebook page on Monday morning read, “I hope this letter finds you well. It is with a heavy heart that I compose this correspondence to tender my resignation as a member and stakeholder in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Abia State, effective immediately.

“My decision to resign as a member within the party stems from personal reasons and reflections on my current commitments and aspirations.

“After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that potting out of PDP is the best course of action for me at this time.

“I am immensely grateful for the opportunities that the PDP has afforded me during my tenure as a Councillor, Deputy Chairman Local Government, Chief of Staff to Executive Governor of Abia State, Deputy Speaker Abia 6th House of Assembly and Presidential Aspirant PDP 2023.